Downhole completion systems are often used to produce or harvest hydrocarbon materials (e.g., crude oil, natural gas, etc.) from subterranean formations. Often, the hydrocarbon materials are recovered from multiple formations (or production zones) along the wellbore. Undesirable fluids (e.g., water, brine, etc.) are often present in the production zones along with the hydrocarbon materials. Generally, it is desirable to produce only hydrocarbons from a well and leave the undesirable fluids within the well. As a result, inflow control devices (often referred to as “ICDs”) are used to limit production of water in order to maximize the yield of hydrocarbons.
Generally, current ICDs are complex, expensive, and only partially reduce the flow of water. Additionally, many of the current devices are mechanically activated and thus require manual intervention. For example, in some approaches, valves may be used to select between hydrocarbons and water based on relative viscosity of the fluids. The valve may include a switching mechanism including, for example, a vortex assembly used to select a fluid based on viscosity. The valve may then direct the water through a tortuous pathway to restrict the flow rate. In other examples, ICDs may be configured to limit or reduce the flow of water by using filters, restricted openings, indirect flow paths, etc. In yet other examples, devices may include expandable materials (e.g., cross-linked gels, cement compositions, polymers, etc.) placed in flow passageways. The hydrocarbons are allowed to flow though the passageways unimpeded while water is restricted due to expansion of the expandable or swellable materials.
However, in many cases, reduction in the flow of water may be limited or may also result in a reduction in the flow of hydrocarbons. As a consequence, the capacity to drain the reservoir efficiently while maximizing production and recovery is diminished. In addition, while mechanically activated devices may be adjusted at the wellsite before deployment, changing ratings during the lifespan of the well can be difficult, if not impossible. The effectiveness of ICDs is largely determined by the ability to optimize performance during production.